Asaf Hanuka’s The Realist

I hope you've discovered Asaf Hanuka's The Realist already, but if you haven't dive into the archives. Hanuka updates on a weekly schedule with detailed, realistic artwork that in combination with tackling real life subjects delivers an emotional wallop.

The comic started when the Israeli newspaper Calcalist commissioned Hanuka to produce a regular comic for the newspaper. A review of the comic by the Jewish Daily Forward states, "To Israelis, Hanuka brings a story to daily domestic finances, and to the English-speaking world, he shows the everyday struggle of a young family in a part of the world usually known for its explosive politics."

You may have previously heard of Asaf Hanuka from his contributions to Waltz with Bashir, the award winning animation feature film by director Ari Folman. Hanuka also worked on Pizzeria Kamikaze with writer Etgar Keret, which was nominated for the Eisner awards in 2007.

The comic also provides a different look at Israel than one usually gets through the news in the United States. Comics that touch on aspects of life in Israel and that both show subtle differences, but also the extent of globalized pop culture everywhere are just fascinating glimpses into another country.